Fear
by Hollabackgurl029
Summary: Vegeta could lose two of the most important things in his life. Onexshot


A painful wail erupted form the pregnant woman as she struggled to maintain consciousness. Her breaths shot out in short, ragged, gasps as she tried with all her might to deliver her child successfully. Vegeta could only watch, feeling both ki's fluctuate wildly. He wanted nothing more than to ensure his wife and child's safety. Despite the facade of indifference surrounding them, nothing more mattered in this moment. With a trembling hand, Vegeta wiped matted hair from his sweaty mate's forehead and attempted to offer her a smile. Bulma could not contain her fear, her doe like eyes searching Vegeta for some sort of stability. She was very in tune with her body and she knew none of it felt right. She was bleeding excessively even for pregnancy and was beginning to feel frail.

Initially only Vegeta and Goku's 'harpy' were going to assist Bulma in birth. Even then Vegeta would've preferred to be alone and had he remembered anything about birth he would've insisted. An our or so into it Bulma's condition began to worsen and any and all friends were on stand by, replenishing water and helping in whatever minuscule way they could.

That was the worst part. Vegeta could keep Bulma safe and fight off any threat. Vegeta could not fight pregnancy. He couldn't combat complications. He could deny death if it wish to claim Bulma in this natural way and that scared him most of all. He slid his rough hand in her delicate, clammy one. He immediately felt her grasp it and squeeze with all her might as her body was wracked with more contractions. Vegeta felt Goku's presence near him but he didn't train his eyes off of his wife. He felt a small bit of comfort, knowing he had gone through the same ordeal and was more or less there for them. After the ordeal Vegeta would have to compliment Chi Chi. She was level headed and fast moving. Sloth in this situation would mean Bulma's death.

Bulma cried out through gritted teeth as a shuddered breath rattling in her chest. Chi Chi mopped the pregnant woman's forehead with a cool rag, frowning. "Please, more water. She's burning up." Chi Chi requested quietly. She did not wish to worry everyone, mainly Vegeta. Anyone with eyes could tell the situation was growing more and more vital. Both Krillin and Yamcha rose without question to fetch a new batch of water. Vegeta watched Bulma with unrivaled intensity. "Bulma," he stated, his voice hoarse. Two blue eyes trained on him. "You must remain strong. I know you are strong enough to bare my Saiyan child." Though his words were not particularly soft his ton was gentle, encouraging, and scared. Bulma smiled at the fact he had chosen to say her actual name in this serious situation. "Hai." she uttered weakly, shutting her eyes as contractions shot throughout her body.

Yamcha returned with a pail of chilled water and Krillin with new towels. Yamcha eyed his former girlfriend and close friend with a serious expression, as he noticed red staining the light towels beneath her. "Chi Chi..." he gasped, his head spinning. "She's bleeding out." Chi Chi's dark eyes darted to the spot underneath Bulma's heat. The red splotch was expanding and darkening. "_Kuso._ Yamcha, take my place right here. I'm going to move."Yamcha obeyed seamlessly, replacing Chi Chi's spot behind Bulma's shoulders.

It was Vegeta's turn to squeeze his wife's hand, fear thumping in his chest. "Tell me what you need me to do." He ordered in a gravelly voice. Chi Chi only grimaced. "Be there for Bulma." Was Chi Chi's distant response. She could see her own husband's fists tightening form the corner of her eyes. "Bulma's gotta have the baby. Neither of them can take much more of this." he informed seriously. Vegeta's onyx eyes shot to his wife, caught in the purgatory between sleep and consciousness. Chi Chi's examination of Bulma's heat seemed to concur with Goku.

Vegeta stroked Bulma's face. "Bulma, the time for labor is over. We need you to have this baby so that you both may rest." Bulma's eyes fluttered open, searching for her husband. "V-Vegeta... I- I can't." She shuddered, her breaths quickening. "Yes you can Bulma, you're ready now. We need you to push as hard as you can and it'll be all over." Chi Chi encouraged, peering between two straddled between two legs. Bulma whimpered, her body not listening to her command of pushing. "You know you can, just push."

Goku felt a strange feeling, as though a weight had left him. He had been keeping track of three ki's. His wife's, who although a little stressed, was normal. Bulma's, which was fluctuating from the event of labor, and the baby's. One of them had faded away. "No... N-No. It can't..." Goku's utterance was drowned in encouraging words and Bulma's wails. "A few more, Bulma, I see him!" Chi Chi cheered. Vegeta squeezed again, a toothy grin on his face. "You're about to do it, our baby is going to be born. One more good push, please." Bulma felt as she couldn't move a muscle. She felt weak, as though her whole body was dead weight. With a surge of determination, Bulma summoned her last bit of strength to shove her baby into this world. Her grip was so tight it even illicited a painful response from Vegeta's hand. Chi Chi braced as the tiny form slowly but surely appeared. "He's, he's here!"

Bulma felt a great burden float away as the pain stopped. No contractions. No fear. Nothing. A dazed smile appeared on her face as she stared at the ceiling for a moment. What she felt was inevitable, but she had completed her final task. "Ve-... Geta..." "Shhh. You don't need to speak, it's alright." Vegeta stroked his tired mates face. Flushed, sweaty, tired- he still found her irresistible He always had. Bulma lifted her heavy head and smiled at her husband. "Arigatou, for being here. Be good... Be good to him... And name him Trunks." The finality of her words struck a fear in his heart, Vegeta's grip tightened on his wife as he felt her ki rapidly retreat. "No. Bulma. BULMA." Her grip on his hand slackened and fell still on the ground. There wasn't a sound in the entire room. Vegeta searched. Scanned. Pried for that familiar signature but it was nowhere to be found. It had completely dimmed; Bulma had died. He slowly crushed her form to his chest, inhaling the familiar cherry blossom scent of her blue hair, barely able to breathe anything else. She was supposed to live. She was supposed to be there. He'd never even explained exactly what she meant to him.

Before her sudden departure could even begin to make sense another cause for alarm struck Vegeta. He heard no noise. No baby's wails. No cries or signs of life. Trembling, Bulma was laid down as he turned to face the room. "Where is he-" Vegeta's words with thick with a dangerous emotion. There was a bundle in Chi Chi's arms that Goku couldn't even bare to look at. Chi Chi's own face red was and splotchy, full of tears as she attempted and failed to speak. "No." was all Vegeta uttered as though the situation was optional. "Vegeta-" Goku began but the other Saiyan stood, a dangerous look in his eyes. "No." Goku just looked sadly at his friend, emotions welling up inside his own chest. "Fate-" Vegeta began, his eyes rolling wildly before he began again. "Does not get to fuck me like this." He started as he heard movement behind him, Yamcha attempting to cover Bulma's newly deceased body with a sheet. "DON'T YOU TOUCH HER." Vegeta snarled rabidly, lurching at Yamcha like a wild beast. He retreated as Vegeta's fist worked it's way into a gnarled claw.

"Vegeta. Please, we can't-" "NO. This isn't REAL. None of this is REAL. None of this can happen. It cannot happen... It CANNOT-"

* * *

"Vegeta... Vegeta, please! It's not real!" The wild man awoke with a startled, animalistic yell, his fist launching at the first thing he saw. Bulma. Of course he halted the punch inches from her face, bewildered and confused. He dropped his fist and stared at his pregnant wife who was very alive. She had initially seemed scared of his punch but the effect didn't reside once his fist dropped. He stared, in the moonlit room her eyes still drove him crazy. Pale, petal-like lips, long turquoise hair. "Vegeta, what's going-" The Saiyan tore the covers from himself in a hurry. "Leave me." He uttered unevenly as he stumbled out of the room. Not only was he emasculated buy his mate catching him have a nightmare but the subject of it had him ready to have a breakdown. He disappeared into the dark and Bulma could only sit and stare after him, confused and concerned.

He didn't return for at least a half hour but of course Bulma could no rest. She laid there, absent mindedly rubbing her swollen belly and trying to understand her husband's behavior. She heard the quiet footsteps and the creak of the door after a while and simply pretended to be asleep. Vegeta approach the bed and entered, tossing a tired look in her direction. "Go on to sleep." He croaked, not fooled for a second. Bulma wiggled into an up right position and eyed Vegeta. "Please, you know you can talk to me. I've had plenty of nightmares, we all ha-" "You're appreciated for attempting to console me. I honestly don't want to recount it." Vegeta was uncharacteristically polite but stern. Bulma eyed him quizzically for a moment before decided to bring up lighter topics instead.

She pulled the weary man into a laying position and had him cradle her. She could feel his heartbeat begin to slow as he breathed in the crook of her neck. "I thought of the baby's name today." Vegeta was almost lulled back to sleep by Bulma's warmth. He gave a 'Hnn' as a response, his eyes shut. "Trunks." He shot up into a sitting position, ragged breaths falling out of an open mouth. "What... Did you say?" Bulma shuffled upright as well, concern laced in her features. "Vegeta, what's going on with you? I said I liked this name Trunks.." Vegeta's fists clenched as the realization hit him. Had he had a premonition? Was his family destined to die?

"Please, tell me what's wrong." The worry tugged at his stomach and he felt her ki began to rise. "Woman-" he bit out gruffly. He saw the expression on her face and lightened his tone. "Bulma, I had a dream that you and the baby died in labor." Bulma frowned. "Vegeta, it's just a dream. I've been anxious to-" "Before you died you explicitly told me to name it Trunks." The last sentence left a bad taste in his mouth. Vegeta turned away from Bulma, unable to face her and ashamed of his display of fear and general emotion. He felt warm hands caress his back. "Vegeta..." "I am supposed to protect you and keep you safe. If something is wrong I can't-" the rest of the sentence caught in his throat.

Bulma slowly made the Saiyan face her, her eyes twinkling. "I know I'm going to carry our baby successfully. And you said the first time we had sex, that we bonded. And we'd always have a connection, sometimes even mental... Maybe you were interpreting the name I'd been mulling over. It was a nightmare, nothing more." Vegeta's face had seemed to soften some. Bulma truly was flattered by Vegeta's concern. He wasn't with her every night but she was glad she could console him in this moment of need. Bulma kept these thoughts to herself, she could tell his pride had been shot. After a while he spoke again. "Rest, you need to rest for the both of you." Bulma obliged, snuggling into his side as he laid onto his back. When her breathing was rhythmic once more her pulled tighter into an embrace, his dark eyes glaring detrminedly into the ceiling._ 'I'll protect you... From anything.'_


End file.
